Chapter 145: Preparing to Move

“Be serious, I’m talking to you about something important.” Cheng Xiaolin glared at her husband, feeling like he was goofing off and not taking her words to heart.

Cao Shujie quickly straightened up. “Don’t worry, honey. I’ll follow your lead. If you say go east, I won’t even think about going west.”

“That’s more like it.” Cheng Xiaolin nodded with a smile, clearly satisfied.

“Shujie, I just saw the weather forecast. They said it might snow in a few days. Are the strawberries up on the mountain going to be okay? I hope they don’t freeze.” Cheng Xiaolin asked with concern.

Hearing her question, Cao Shujie replied seriously, “Don’t worry. I studied this stuff, remember? It’ll be fine. If strawberries were that easy to freeze, how would anyone else manage to grow them?”

Cheng Xiaolin thought about it and realized he had a point, so she let it go.

She hesitated, just about to ask if Cao Shujie had time to go with her to visit her parents, when his phone rang.

Cheng Xiaolin glanced at the screen and saw the name flashing: Cao Zhen.

In the blink of an eye, her husband had already picked up the phone. “Hey, Cao Zhen. You’ve been gone for over a month. How’s it going? Got everything settled?”

“To be honest, I just barely wrapped things up,” Cao Zhen replied, his voice laced with exhaustion.

He said, “Shujie, I finally get it now. Being out here on your own, no matter what you’re doing, it’s tough.”

“Just trying to get some paperwork done has been a nightmare. Back in Pingyuan County Town, there was nothing I couldn’t handle. Anyone dared to drag their feet, I’d have them sorted in days. But over here, it’s a whole different story. I’ve been hitting walls everywhere I go.” Cao Zhen was full of complaints and frustration.

“Can you believe it? There are even people here trying to rob you blind.” As he spoke, Cao Zhen still couldn’t hide the fear and anxiety from what had happened.

Back in Pingyuan County, as ‘Supervisor Cao’, anything he needed was just a phone call away. A dinner, a massage, even a foot rub, all arranged in advance.

If someone dared to mess with him, one call and he could have two vans of people show up.

But here, everything had changed.

“A tiger fallen to the plains gets bullied by dogs.” That was the most accurate way Cao Zhen could describe his situation now.

After hearing all this, Cao Shujie felt uneasy too.

His childhood friend had traveled thousands of kilometers to work alone in a strange place. Everything was unfamiliar and difficult.

“Shujie, now I finally understand how hard it must have been for you when you were in Beijing alone,” Cao Zhen said.

But he still had some fire in him. “Tell me, how did you get through it when you first went to Beijing?”

Now Cao Shujie understood. All that buildup was just so his buddy could ask for advice.

But really, what advice was there to give?

Cao Shujie answered calmly, “Cao Zhen, let me put it this way. I just gritted my teeth and pushed through it, day by day.”

He said, “When you’re out there alone, with no one to rely on, who can you turn to?”

Hearing her husband talk about their early days in Beijing, Cheng Xiaolin was reminded of those tough times when they fought tooth and nail just to get by. It really had been hard.

“Mengmeng, let’s go visit Grandmother and see if there are any good cartoons on.” Cheng Xiaolin didn’t want their daughter listening to all this.

Maybe one day, when Mengmeng was grown and about to step into the real world, she’d share these stories with her. But not now.

Mengmeng lit up at the mention of cartoons. She nodded eagerly. “Okay! Let’s go, Mommy!”

She leaned in close to Cheng Xiaolin, sneaking a glance at her dad on the phone, and whispered, “Mommy, let’s go watch cartoons in secret. Don’t let Daddy see.”

Cheng Xiaolin couldn’t help but laugh at her daughter’s antics. “Mengmeng, tell Mommy, why don’t you want Daddy to watch cartoons?”

“Shhh!” Mengmeng pressed a finger to her lips, signaling her mom to keep quiet.

She said, “Daddy lied to me. He said he’d give me money, but he didn’t. So I’m not letting him watch cartoons.”

Cheng Xiaolin almost wanted to give her daughter a thumbs-up. That logic was rock solid.

“Come on, let’s sneak out before he notices.” Cheng Xiaolin took her daughter’s hand and led her out.

Cao Shujie had heard their entire little plot loud and clear. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Who would’ve thought his daughter could hold a grudge like that?

“You really just toughed it out like that?” Cao Zhen asked from the other end of the line, full of emotion.

He didn’t think Cao Shujie was lying.

Before coming here, he wouldn’t have felt much hearing something like that. If his buddy had said it back then, he might’ve even called him dramatic.

But now, he truly understood. He felt it in his bones.

“What else could we do? Back then, my wife and I were in Beijing, just grinding it out. We’d come home and vent to each other.” Cao Shujie joked about their struggles.

But his casual remark hit a sore spot for Cao Zhen. “You said that on purpose, didn’t you? You know I haven’t found anyone yet.”

“Come on, aren’t there a ton of pretty girls over there? Why don’t you find one?” Cao Shujie teased.

Cao Zhen replied, “If I do find someone, I might never come back!”

“Better that than staying single forever,” Cao Shujie shot back, delivering a brutal blow that made Cao Zhen want to cough up blood.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough for today.” Cao Zhen really didn’t want to keep talking. The more they talked, the more depressed he got.

Before hanging up, he asked, “Shujie, do you still have any of those apples? The ones you grew yourself. If you do, send me some more.”

“You already finished them?” Cao Shujie asked. He’d sent over more than thirty jin last time.

Cao Zhen grunted in confirmation. “I ate a bunch on the way here. After I arrived, I couldn’t get used to the food, so I just kept munching on apples. And you only gave me a little bit.”

“Alright, send me your address. I’ll mail some over when I get a chance.” Cao Shujie didn’t want to listen to him ramble. “But just so you know, I don’t have much left. I can only send you a few dozen jin. The rest I already sold to Zuo Le.”

“How much did you sell to him?” Cao Zhen asked, curious.

Cao Shujie had nearly forgotten. He thought for a moment and said, “It was about 7,200 jin. Made over 50,000 yuan.”

“You’re telling me you made that much just selling fruit?” Cao Zhen couldn’t wrap his head around it.

Based on that, each jin of apples was going for seven or eight yuan.

And those kiwis he sold before were going for 28 yuan a jin. He had to admit, he was impressed.

Cao Shujie chuckled. “Cao Zhen, why don’t you quit working for your uncle and come back? We can run the business together.”

Hearing what Cao Shujie said, Cao Zhen was deeply moved, though he replied with a smirk, “Yeah right. If I ever go back, I’m definitely starting my own business.”

“That works too. Why don’t you open a fruit shop? I’ll send you fruit, and you can make a profit off the price difference,” Cao Shujie rattled off without missing a beat.

The two didn’t chat for long. Before hanging up, Cao Zhen gave Cao Shujie his current address and repeated it a couple of times just to be sure.

He reminded him again to send plenty of apples, saying it was the last bit of comfort from home he could still enjoy.

“So basically, you’re just clinging to me now,” Cao Shujie laughed heartily.

Back when he sold apples to Zuo Le, Cao Shujie had set aside over 400 jin for himself. These were mostly for personal use or as gifts.

He wasn’t about to be stingy with Cao Zhen. Seeing that it was still early, he packed a full box of apples—about 30 jin or so. It was heavy enough to be a struggle to carry. He lugged the box to his car and drove straight to the post office in Qingshi Town.

There was no other choice. At this time, none of the other couriers in town were accepting shipments to Xinjiang.

“Boss Cao, what are you sending that’s so heavy?” asked Liu Shuai, the postal courier.

“Apples. Sending them to a friend,” Cao Shujie replied.

“Oh? Then you must be pretty close with this friend,” Liu Shuai commented.

Cao Shujie nodded. “Yeah, we grew up together. He’s out in Xinjiang all by himself now and just wants a taste of the apples I grow. I couldn’t say no to that.” He patted the box. “Liu Shuai, can you weigh this and tell me how much the shipping will cost?”

“Should be around 150 yuan,” Liu Shuai estimated, having already gotten a feel for the weight when he lifted it earlier.

He added, “You could buy a bunch of apples locally with that kind of money.”

“Haha, it’s not the same,” Cao Shujie said with a grin.

Liu Shuai didn’t press the matter. After weighing it, he told Cao Shujie the postage would be 158 yuan. Before Liu Shuai could ask whether it would be paid on delivery or upfront, Cao Shujie had already pulled out 200 yuan and handed it over. “Here you go.”

After leaving the post office, Cao Shujie called Little Cao Zhen. “Cao Zhen, I just left the post office. The apples are on their way. Keep an eye out for the delivery.”

“How much did you send? If it’s just ten or eight jin, forget it. That’s not even worth the shipping,” Cao Zhen joked.

Cao Shujie didn’t bother replying to that nonsense, but eventually said, “Almost 40 jin.”

“Damn, nice. Shujie, you’re the real deal. When I come back for the New Year, we’re having a proper drink together,” Cao Zhen said.

Neither of them were the sentimental type. A few more words and the call ended.

Cao Shujie drove home. As soon as he stepped into the bedroom, he saw his wife on the computer.

The message notification sound chimed, followed by a knock at the door. The sound was familiar, and he asked, “Honey, who are you chatting with?”

“I’m talking to Sister Zhu. Did you send the apples to Brother Zhen?” Cheng Xiaolin asked.

Cao Shujie nodded and walked over to sit beside his wife, eyes on the screen. “Who’s Sister Zhu? Do I know her?”

“You already forgot? When we went to Huaxi Mountain the other day, Mengmeng bumped into her son Bingbing. Remember now?”

As soon as she said that, the memory clicked for Cao Shujie. “Oh right, you did tell me about that.”

“Exactly. You’ve got such a bad memory, even something like that slips your mind,” Cheng Xiaolin teased, fingers still tapping away on the keyboard while chatting with her friend.

“What are you two talking about?” Cao Shujie asked, curious.

He wondered if women were like men when they chatted—bragging and trying to one-up each other until someone gave in.

Cheng Xiaolin turned the screen slightly toward him. “What else? Parenting tips.”

She continued, “Sister Zhu has two kids. The younger one is about the same age as our Mengmeng. She was asking how to raise smarter kids.”

As soon as she said that, Cao Shujie’s eyes widened in mock surprise. He stood up like he’d made some great discovery. “Honey, this Zhu Qiaoxia has good taste.”

“What do you mean?” Cheng Xiaolin didn’t catch his drift.

Then she heard him add, “How does she know you’re good at raising smart kids?”

Realizing what he meant, Cheng Xiaolin rolled her eyes at him. “Is that how you compliment someone? So embarrassing.”

Cao Shujie chuckled. “I’m just telling the truth. What’s embarrassing about that? You’ve got the wrong mindset.”

Cheng Xiaolin acted like she couldn’t be bothered to argue, but she was secretly pleased.

“Alright, go do something else. Don’t distract me.”

Just then, their daughter Mengmeng came running over. Cao Shujie quickly got up to meet her. “Okay, you keep chatting. I’ll go play with Mengmeng.”

…

Meanwhile, in a small county in Changzhou, Xinjiang, Cao Zhen had rented an apartment.

In the past month, he had also contracted 3,000 mu of land to grow cotton.

Cotton prices had risen sharply this year, but after arriving, Cao Zhen was surprised to find that not many people were growing it here.

He even saw large fields where the cotton was clearly ready to harvest, but no one was tending to it. The weeds had grown thick, smothering the cotton plants. Many of them had collapsed under the weight, and the expected yield was clearly going to be poor.

He couldn’t understand why this was happening.

His factory was paying high prices to purchase cotton, yet here was all this land full of unharvested cotton just going to waste.

Seeing this made him want to curse.

Thinking back to the call he just had with Cao Shujie helped calm him down a bit.

He tossed his phone aside, lit a cigarette, and took a slow drag. He remembered his uncle telling him over the phone that he should contract as much land as he could and not worry about the money.

Truthfully, money was never Cao Zhen’s main concern. What he was really focused on was how to acquire more land.

Before coming here, he had assumed that having money would be enough to lease more land for cotton farming. But after arriving, he realized it was far more complicated than he had imagined.

There were still many obstacles ahead.

Late at night, when everything was quiet, the thought did cross his mind: give up and go back to Cao Family Village.

But when the sun rose and a new day began, Cao Zhen would shake off that thought and throw himself back into the grind.

He knew perfectly well that he didn’t have the same skills as his childhood friend, Cao Shujie. If he were really sent back to Cao Family Village to contract land, plant fruit trees, or run a livestock farm, he’d be completely out of his depth.

After thinking it over, he decided that his top priority was to do a good job here in Xinjiang. He could earn some money in the process and build up a bit of capital.

As he mulled things over, Cao Zhen started feeling hungry again. He remembered there was a place near his rental that sold baked buns, and another that made big plate chicken. Just the thought of it made his mouth water.

He had just told Cao Shujie that he couldn’t get used to the food here, but that was a flat-out lie.

Not only did Cao Zhen enjoy the local cuisine, he actually found the exotic flavors quite unique and delicious. He never got tired of them.

He went next door to order a plate of big plate chicken and ate with great satisfaction, feeling energized and content.

He noticed that the cost of living here was about the same as in Pingyuan County Town.

Back when he was earning just over three thousand yuan a month in Pingyuan, he had to be careful with every penny. But ever since he arrived here, he was getting a daily meal allowance of 50 yuan, and his salary had jumped to ten thousand. Now he could eat whatever he wanted without worrying about running out of money.

All in all, Cao Zhen was really enjoying his time here.

Coming down from his building, he turned left and walked about a hundred meters before spotting a shop with a sign that read “Xinjiang Big Plate Chicken.” He’d been there more than once. Pushing the door open, he called out to the owner behind the counter, “Patiguli, one big plate chicken, please.”

“Have a seat.” Patiguli glanced at him, then turned to the kitchen and said something in the local dialect, probably telling the chef to prepare the dish.

Cao Zhen looked around the restaurant. Other than his own table, there were only two others with customers. He couldn’t help wondering how this place managed to make any money.

While waiting, he pulled out his phone and logged into QQ, thinking about who he could chat with.

Just then, he heard someone say, “You’re not busy today…”

“Patiguli, not busy today?” Cao Zhen asked her.

The local woman behind the counter, with fair skin and a high nose bridge, shook her head. “No, business is really tough these days.”

Hearing that, Cao Zhen nodded in agreement. The two chatted for a while until someone brought out his big plate chicken.

Pointing at the steaming dish, Cao Zhen called out to Patiguli, who hadn’t gone far. “Patiguli, can I give you a suggestion?”

“What is it?” she asked.

Pointing at the dish, he said, “Too many chilies, too many potatoes. It’s supposed to be big plate chicken, and your shop even advertises it as such, but the chicken is the smallest portion. If you were a customer, would you come back here?”

Patiguli looked at him, a little dazed by how confidently he spoke. He was the first customer to ever give her feedback.

But he’d been coming in for a week straight, always ordering the same dish.

She had assumed he loved it, but now, hearing his critique, she realized she might have misunderstood.

That thought left her even more puzzled. After a moment of silence, she asked, “Zhen, but I remember you’ve eaten this dish every day for a week.”

“Exactly. That’s why my opinion carries weight,” Cao Zhen said with a grin.

His confident tone left Patiguli at a loss for words.

Still, she asked, “If you don’t think it tastes that good, why do you keep ordering it every time?”

That was the question that had been nagging at her the most.

Just as she finished asking, Cao Zhen smiled and looked at her. “I come to see the most beautiful flower.”

“…” Patiguli stared at his serious expression, almost thinking she’d misheard him.

Before she could respond, Cao Zhen excitedly brought up something else. “Patiguli, didn’t you say the apples I brought last time were really good? I asked my friend for another box today. It should arrive in about a week. When it gets here, I’ll bring you a few of the best ones.”

Hearing that, Patiguli’s face lit up with joy. She beamed and said, “Zhen, how much? I’ll pay you.”

“If you’re going to pay me, then I won’t bring them,” Cao Zhen shook his head. He didn’t need the money—why would he take it?

“But your apples are really delicious. Even better than the Honeycrisp apples we grow here,” Patiguli said.

The name “Honeycrisp Apple” suddenly rang a bell in Cao Zhen’s mind. He felt like he’d heard it somewhere before.

He asked Patiguli more about the Honeycrisp variety, and after she explained, he finally remembered where he’d heard it.

“Zuo Le mentioned it on the train. He said he was planning to come here to buy a batch of Rock Sugar Heart Apples. I didn’t expect apples like that to be so reasonably priced in a small town,” Cao Zhen thought to himself.

——

Unknowingly, two more days passed.

That morning, Cao Shujie leashed up his four dogs, getting ready to take them for a walk up the mountain.

But the little Pekingese in the back suddenly started barking furiously.

Mengmeng saw the little dog barking and came pounding over, eager to play.

Ever since he brought her back, Cao Shujie had made an announcement over the village loudspeaker, but no one came to claim her.

So he decided to keep her. No one else had shown up, and he’d already taken all the dogs to the vet for vaccinations.

With Daha, Erha, and the others in tow, he headed toward the mountain.

Along the way, he greeted fellow villagers and eventually arrived at the two-story house at the foot of the hill. Cao Shujie wanted to check it out. If it seemed suitable, he’d pick an auspicious day to move in.

Opening the door, he didn’t smell anything unpleasant anymore, but he still had some reservations. He figured it wouldn’t hurt to wait another month.

Living with his parents was convenient—his mother cooked every day—but sometimes it felt a bit restrictive.

And with the weather getting colder, he thought it would be better to set up centralized heating with a boiler here. At least it would be warmer.

He’d even considered having his parents move in and spend the New Year here, but they had refused.

“Woof!”

Daha looked at the two-story house and the nicely done courtyard, clearly better than where they were living now. It got so worked up it looked ready to bolt.

Cao Shujie told them, “Don’t go running off. Just wait here. I’m going up to take a look. Once I’m done, we’ll head back.”

“Woof, woof!” Erha barked a few times. The dogs all lay down obediently, behaving themselves.

Seeing how well they listened, Cao Shujie felt genuinely pleased.

He went up to the second floor, pushed open the door and windows, and looked around the fully furnished room. It had a private bathroom and shower. Honestly, it was no worse than his place in Beijing. So why bother making things difficult for himself out there?

(End of this chapter)

————

帕提古丽 (Patiguli) is a female Uyghur name from China’s Xinjiang region. It’s written in Chinese characters as a phonetic transliteration, not a word with direct Chinese meaning. The name usually conveys ideas of beauty, grace, or flowers in Uyghur culture. Some singers, poets, and artists from Xinjiang also use this name.